Hampden Select board talks fire station, regionalization and ambulance

Aug. 10, 2020 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

HAMPDEN – The Hampden Select Board discussed changes to the Fire Station at its Aug. 3 meeting. While a study of the building was originally undertaken as an examination of a fire station expansion to house a new water tanker, the scope of the  project has changed out of necessity.

The report from the architect, which Select Board Chair Donald Davenport described as "quite extensive," details structural, building code and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance issues, including the presence of asbestos and lead paint.

Select Board member Mary Ellen Glover explained that the board received six potential plans, ranging in cost from $1.95 to $13 million. The lowest estimate would add and expansion and renovate the building to address the safety concerns. The other five options involve a completely rebuilt fire station.

Glover said the town has to consider in what future direction the Fire Department is heading when making a decision on the project.

Board member John Flynn suggested that the town should look for a large grant to tackle the unexpected cost. He referenced contacting U.S. Rep. Richard Neal for help.

"I'm going to say it," Flynn said. [Neal] should be bringing something back for this district." He noted that town officials have always supported the politician, and now Hampden needs his help financially.

"Show me the money," Davenport agreed.

Hampden is still weighing its options regarding the regionalization of emergency dispatch services. Currently, the town is considering two possible partnerships, one with Chicopee-based WESTCOMM and another with the town of Wilbraham.

Interim Town Administrator Bob Markel told the board that he had heard back from East Longmeadow Town Manager Mary McNally about the town's satisfaction with WESTCOMM. Markel said she told him East Longmeadow is pleased with their service. Last week, Markel reported a similar result from Monson Town Administrator Evan Brassard.

Davenport clarified for the townspeople viewing the meeting via Zoom that WESTCOMM is a not-for-profit, public entity rather than a privately held company.

Flynn said that there was a tradeoff with joining WESTCOMM. He said the town would lose some autonomy but save money and have an equal seat at the table.

On the other hand, Glover opined that if they were to join Wilbraham's existing emergency dispatch, Hampden as a minority community wouldn't have priority and would have to vocally advocate for services.

Another meeting with Wilbraham town officials regarding a regionalized system was scheduled for the following day Aug. 4. Markel said that he would be requesting a representative from the state's E911 agency join the call to answer questions about what grants are available.

When speaking of the direction of the town, Markel commented that regionalization may be a step toward Hampden becoming "South Wilbraham again."

The board also discussed issues around the Action Ambulance emergency transport service, which began on June 1.

As the contract with the ambulance service was written, Police Chief Jeff Farnsworth is the main contact person with the town. The board considered changing the point person to Fire Chief Ed Poulin.

Glover said that she would prefer to keep Farnsworth in the position, citing his role as emergency management director and concerns that the Fire Department may have a conflict of interest since it, too, runs an ambulance.

Flynn noted that Farnsworth had the responsibility be reassigned. The board will vote on the point person at its next meeting.

At the same meeting, appointments will be made to the Ambulance Oversight Committee. The board defined the role of the committee as ensuring that the contract with Action Ambulance is being upheld, reviewing any complaints and monitoring response times. Markel reported Action AmbulanceÕs current response times are averaging four minutes and 20 seconds, well under the promised ceiling of eight minutes.

Town Accountant Cliff Bombard said that the town is financially stable.

"All things being equal, we had a good year," Bombard said. That is despite the town's free cash was certified at $435,678, lower than average. Bombard said part of the reason for that is a deficiency of $130,000 in uncollected property taxes. He said that when the tax bills were deferred to June 29 in an effort to ease residents' COVID-19-related financial woes, some people thought the bills had been waived altogether.

Bombard said that as demand for those funds are sent out, the town may see a boost in August's tax revenue from people paying the previous bill.

Flynn said that with the current financial situation, part of the free cash could be added to the stabilization fund or used to ease the tax rate.

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